In Bermuda, there are always sailing vessels to watch - either from our windows in the condo, on our walks to St. George, swimming in the bays, or on our drives to Hamilton harbour. In fact, with an island width of just two miles, sea views are never far away.
The boats and ships come in a variety of sizes and classes - from the 5000 capacity cruise ships, ferries, pilot boats, trimarans, and naval ships, to the row boats,
speed boats, and even the little sailing dinghies.
Anchored off our wharf and in St. George's Harbour, are dozens of different craft - we have certainly got used to the proliferation of white hulls and white sails, and the frothy wake left by the ferry and speed boats jetting by. My favourite sight is still the bright pink sails of the children's training dinghies that can be seen on most weekdays.
Another wonderful sight to see are the boats that slowly and carefully make their way through "The Cut" - a very narrow strait that provides the only way in to St. George's Harbour (photo above). Even the ferries make it through, albeit cautiously. Sadly, with the advent of the gigantic cruise ships, St. George's Harbour and The Cut are now too small to accommodate them. All the big ones dock at Royal Naval Dockyard on the west end of the island.
The more spectacular sight are the huge yachts that lumber into the harbour and tie up for a couple of days to refresh before moving onto other shores. These vessels are manned by a crew of sometimes dozens of people. They appear to lack for nothing - all bright shiny silver railings and knobs everywhere.
To give you an idea: The "Rose Hearty" (photo right) owned by Rupert Murdoch docked at St. George - it sports 7 cabins, and is 56 metres or 183 feet long. It can be rented out for $225,000 per week for a 'fun holiday'.
The 'Okto' (photo above)- owned by Mohammed Al Barwani of Oman is 216 feet long and can be chartered for $500,000 per week. And if you would like to own it outright - the price tag is a mere $54.5 million.
Back in reality, Patrick and I are happy to settle for our green, blue and white kayak waiting patiently for us on our beach at Convict Bay.
Happy sailing everyone! In whatever form it takes.
